System and method for non-contact wetness detection using thermal sensing

A computer implemented method for detecting wetness on a surface comprising of steps of:

• a) collecting data on surface temperatures using at least one sensor, wherein each sensor partitions the surface into multiple non-overlapping zones of pixels, wherein sensing parameters in each zone are independently modified, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a memory unit and fluid detection unit, wherein the at least one sensor is installed on one or more walls and/or ceilings;
• b) identifying baseline surface temperatures in each zone with a processor comprising a data capture module, a fluid detection module and a belief update module, wherein the fluid detection module reads a data buffer from the memory unit and segregates data for each zone, wherein features are calculated for each zone, wherein the features comprise a temporal tracking of each pixel's thermal data over time;
• c) identifying wetness as aberrations of baseline surface temperatures in each zone, wherein the belief update module aggregates all pixels in each zone that are crossing a belief threshold value to result in a positive wetness detection;
• wherein a fluid type inference, a spill type inference, an area threshold check, a time threshold check and similarity threshold is performed on the detected wetness to indicate if an alert is to be generated;
• d) comparing data on wetness from at least two time points to improve belief;
• and
• e) alerting one or more workers and/or stakeholders when wetness on the surface reaches or exceeds a threshold level.

A computer implemented method for identifying fluid in wetness on a floor or surface comprising of steps of:

• a) collecting data on thermal characteristics of wetness using at least one sensor, wherein each sensor partitions the floor or surface into multiple non-overlapping zones of pixels, wherein sensing parameters in each zone are independently modified, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a memory unit and fluid detection unit, wherein the at least one sensor is installed on one or more walls and/or ceilings;
• b) compiling a database of thermal signatures of fluids based on thermal properties exhibited on one or more surfaces;
• c) identifying fluids in each zone by comparing thermal signatures of known fluids in the database, wherein a fluid detection module in a processor reads a data buffer from the memory unit and segregates data for each zone, wherein features are calculated for each zone, wherein the features comprise a temporal tracking of each pixel's thermal data over time, wherein a belief update module in the processor aggregates all pixels in each zone that are crossing a belief threshold value to result in a positive wetness detection;
• wherein a fluid type inference, a spill type inference, an area threshold check, a time threshold check and similarity threshold is performed on the detected wetness to indicate if an alert is to be generated;
• d) comparing wetness detection results from at least two time points to improve belief;
• and
• e) alerting one or more workers and/or stakeholders with information on the fluid.